by D. M. Turner
Donna nodded then murmured, “I don’t think I can even sit up.”
“Not a problem.” He knelt next to her, helped her sit upright, and eased her bare arm into the other sleeve of the robe. “We’ll get food into you. That’ll restore your strength.”
She grimaced. “I’m not sure I can eat.”
“We’ll find something you can handle.” He caressed her cheek for a moment then smiled. “Alright. Arms around my neck.”
Shaky hands climbed his chest until they met behind his head. She was so weak. They had to get sustenance into her immediately. He scooped her into his arms, got to his feet, and carried her to the couch in the living room.
Ian had sprawled in an upholstered chair and had his head resting against the back with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes as Graham set Donna on the couch and pointed to the cellphone lying on the coffee table. “Jeremy called. He’s on his way over. I asked him to pick up beef broth. Donna needs it. Store-bought’s not as good as homemade, but it’ll do.”
He’d been so focused on Donna, Graham hadn’t heard the phone ring. He sat next to his mate, who stretched out and rested her head on his lap. Her eyes closed, and her breathing leveled off. As much as he’d like to wallow in relief and release concern, he had to be realistic. They weren’t out of the woods yet. If they didn’t get her to eat, he’d still lose her.
“She’ll be alright.” Ian’s quiet confidence wrapped around Graham.
“I hope so. Tommy and I both need her. Where is Tommy?”
“He’s visiting with Colin and Tanya until I get home.”
Graham nodded. “I hope all of you know how much I appreciate you looking after him. I couldn’t have managed it on my own. Not right now.”
“I know.” Ian half-smiled. “That’s what the pack is for. We take care of each other.”
Thank heavens. He’d have been in trouble without them.
“Mind if I stick around? I’d like to hear what Jeremy found.”
Graham shook his head and smiled. “You’re welcome to stay.”
Ian nodded then rested his head on the back of the chair and closed his eyes again.
Peace descended.
* * *
“Honey, wake up. Jeremy’s here.”
Donna yawned, opened her eyes, and looked around. Jeremy had taken Ian’s place in the chair. She glanced up at Graham. “Did Ian go home?”
“No. He’s in the kitchen warming up broth for you.”
She should’ve guessed. When Ian was stressed, he retreated to the kitchen. Food prep and cooking seemed to relax him. One day she’d ask how that had become his sanctuary.
The subject of their discussion returned to the living room, a big mug in one hand. He motioned to her. “You’ll want to sit up to drink this.”
Graham helped her up and kept an arm around her as she leaned heavily against him. Then she accepted the cup from Ian. It wasn’t as heavy as she’d expected, but it still felt too much to bear. “Thanks.”
He nodded and sat at the far end of the couch.
She lowered it to her lap. He’d only filled it halfway.
Graham nudged one of her hands with a knuckle. “That’s for drinking, not gazing.”
Donna raised it slowly and carefully to her mouth. Hopefully she wouldn’t spill or drop it and make a mess. After a couple of sips, her husband smiled and nodded.
He shifted his gaze to Jeremy. “I assume you finished the autopsy.”
She swallowed hard around another sip of broth, jarred despite the gentleness of his observation.
“I did.” Jeremy frowned. “I had to call a friend who specializes in high risk pregnancies for his input, as I wasn’t sure of my findings.”
Lowering the trembling mug to her lap, Donna raised her gaze to his. “Did I cause it?”
“Absolutely not.” Jeremy scowled. “How could you think that?”
“Are you sure?” Tears threatened.
“Positive.” He nodded. “Marisa had a growth in her chest large enough to cut off the blood supply from the placenta to the heart.”
“Cancer?” Donna could barely breathe. “But werewolves don’t get cancer, right? She would’ve already been one of us, wouldn’t she?”
“Yes, which is why it surprised me. The fact it looked so odd, unlike any cancerous growth I’d ever seen, only confused me more. I called my friend in to take a look. He wasn’t able to come until early today. We removed the mass and cut it open to figure out exactly what we were dealing with.” His brow furrowed, as though he was still confused. “He said it was a lethal form of a condition commonly referred to as parasitic twin. He’d run into it a couple of times over the years, but never a case quite like this.”
“What is that?”
“In essence, it’s a pair of identical twins that don’t split properly, so one ends up being permanently joined to the other. It happens in humans, usually resulting in conjoined twins. In very, very rare cases, the twin becomes encased within the body of the seemingly normal one. It’s an almost unheard of condition, and it rarely causes death.”
“But… twins don’t run in my family as far as I know.” She shook her head and glanced at Graham.
He shook his head. “Mine either.”
“So how could this happen?”
The doctor shrugged. “My suspicion is that it’s an inherent weakness in the werewolf species.”
“So it could happen again.”
Jeremy glanced at Ian and Graham before meeting her gaze. “Yes.”
Donna swallowed and closed her eyes.
“I wish I could assure you this was a fluke and unlikely to happen again. Unfortunately, so little’s known about werewolf reproduction, I can’t do that. For all I know this is why stillbirths occur in wolves. Kelly’s mother lost both of her unborn children because of abuse, so I don’t consider those stillbirths on par with Marisa’s death, but Ian’s wife wasn’t abused or traumatized in any way to trigger the loss of their son. Neither was her mother, apparently. Without more information, and more autopsies, I can’t offer reassurance that it won’t happen again.”
The faint rustle of fabric and the couch beside her dipping made Donna open her eyes.
Jeremy’s soft gaze caught and held hers. “Marisa’s death was in no way your fault. She couldn’t have survived with the mass where it was.”
Donna nodded.
The doctor slowly got to his feet. “I should go.” He nodded to all of them and headed for the door.
“Me, too.” Ian followed then glanced back. “Make sure she drinks all the broth, including what’s still on the stove. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or so.”
Graham nodded. “Jeremy?”
The doctor turned at the door.
“I know what you’ve had to do this week wasn’t pleasant.”
“No, it wasn’t.” He offered a weak smile. “But it needed to be done.”
“Thank you.”
Jeremy nodded, opened the door, and stepped back to let Ian exit ahead of him. Then he followed the alpha out and closed the door.
Donna watched them leave, relieved to have the house quiet and still again.
Graham settled deeper into the couch cushion. “Do you want me to call anyone?”
She shook her head. “I just want quiet. I don’t want to see anyone right now.”
“Alright. If you’re sure.”
She nodded weakly.
“You heard Ian.” He pointed to the mug in her hands. “Drink up. Just take it slow.”
Silence fell for a long while. She emptied the mug. He brought more broth. Ian had warmed up more than he’d expected. He needed to get it into her faster if she was supposed to drink that much in only about an hour.
Donna had nearly finished the last of the broth when she leaned forward and set the mug on the coffee table. Then she sat back and stared at her empty hands. “I don’t think I can do it again.”
“What?”
“Pregnancy.” Tears filled her eyes then spil
led over her cheeks, one by one. “If this is how it’ll end, I can’t do it.” Recalling the desperation she’d felt while in heat, the overwhelming need for her husband, made June loom large and fierce. “What are we gonna do?”
“We’ll figure it out. We have until June to think of something.” He kissed her temple. “I’m more worried about right now, this moment, to think that far ahead. Getting you well is my first priority.”
“I’m so tired.”
He guided her head to his shoulder. “Then sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”
Comforted by that knowledge, Donna closed her eyes and shifted to settle more comfortably against her mate’s chest.
Lord, I know Graham wants children. So do I. But I can’t go through this again and again. My heart hurts so much right now, killing me would be an act of kindness. Losing another child… I couldn’t survive it, Lord. It’s too hard.
Nothing’s too hard for Me, child. Be still. Know I am God.
Fear skittered through her. If we’re to have children, give me peace about it. Settle my heart. Protect them so this doesn’t happen again. Give us a son, Lord, with Graham’s loving spirit. Even if that’s all we ever have, give us that one. Please.
Epilogue
March 2020
DONNA paced the length of the master bathroom, hand on the small of her back. Stay calm. It’s not happening again. The baby’s fine. Don’t freak out. The stress isn’t good for the baby. They’d been through ups and downs since Marisa’s death. Donna hadn’t even gone into heat the summer after their daughter’s death. Probably stress, Jeremy and Ian had said. By the time the next summer had rolled around, renewed interest in having a child had stirred. To no avail. They’d been cautiously excited when the one that followed resulted in pregnancy. They couldn’t lose the second one. We can’t, Lord. Please!
A pain doubled her over. She gripped the edge of the vanity to stay on her feet and forced herself to breathe despite spasms in the muscles across her abdomen. Definitely not Braxton Hicks. And the baby hadn’t moved in a few hours.
Lord, please, not again. We can’t lose this one, too. Please!
“Honey, where are you?”
“In the bathroom.”
Graham appeared in the doorway then rushed to her side. “Why aren’t you lying down?”
“I don’t want to make a mess in the bedroom.” Ian’s guestroom might be mess-proofed to some extent, but their master bedroom wasn’t.
“You can’t be serious.” Her mate frowned in obvious disapproval.
“I’m quite serious. If I go in there, we’ll have to replace the mattress.”
He chuckled. “We can afford it. Come on.” He guided her into the adjoining room and helped her sit on the bed. “I got hold of Jeremy. He’ll be here as soon as he can.”
“I hope that means soon. I already feel the need to push.”
Graham’s eyes widened. “Not until he gets here!”
“Then he better hurry.”
“I’ll call him again.” He sprinted from the room.
Despite worry and pain, she laughed softly. If Jeremy didn’t arrive in time, she might be on her own. Graham’s panic said he wasn’t ready to deliver his own child.
Minutes later, he returned with the doctor in tow. “Soon enough?”
“Barely.” She panted through another heavy contraction. Then she met Jeremy’s gaze, unable to swallow fear anymore. “It’s too soon.”
“Not really. Babies come when they’re ready, not necessarily on their due dates. You’re only a few days ahead of your due date, so it’s all good.”
Yeah, he could say that and be calm. He wasn’t in her shoes, terrified of losing another baby. “He hasn’t moved in a while.”
“Go ahead and lie down.” He opened a large case he was carrying. “I brought a portable baby monitor so we can keep a close eye on this little guy.”
She laid back and lifted the hem of her gown to expose her belly. Another pain came as he wrapped a wide elastic band around her waist, being particular about its placement over her bulging abdomen. He turned on a machine inside the case then rearranged the band. Then he smiled and reached for a knob. The rapid sound of a heartbeat filled the room.
“Is that mine?” It sounded awfully fast.
“Nope. That’s your son’s.”
Tears of relief burned her eyes. Thank you, Lord.
Another pain bore down on her. “Jeremy… I really need to push.”
“Let’s check where you are first. I don’t want you to tear yourself up.”
* * *
More than a little queasy, Graham sat behind his mate and held her propped up in his arms as she relaxed with their son nestled against her chest. Jeremy’s demeanor had remained calm through the whole ordeal, assuring Graham that everything was perfectly normal.
How did women handle it? Even his first Shift decades before hadn’t been so bad. Sure, it had been the most painful experience of his life, but it had lasted only minutes. Donna had been at it for hours, and without pain medication to boot. He’d have been screaming for drugs a long time ago.
Their son rested in Donna’s arms, blue eyes squinting up at them. Graham swallowed nausea and hugged his wife. “You’re beyond incredible. I don’t know how women do what you just did.”
She smiled over her shoulder at him. “God designed us for it.”
“Yeah, well, I think I’d still have wanted drugs.”
A soft chuckle arose from both her and Jeremy, who finished packing his equipment and snapped the locks on the case. He got to his feet and turned to them. “All of you will be just fine now. Why don’t I leave you to get to know your son? I’ll take care of the birth certificate immediately. What name do I put on it?”
Graham opened his mouth and froze. They hadn’t discussed names. “Uh, we haven’t talked about any yet.”
“Samuel.” Donna’s soft voice rose. “Samuel Thomas Caldwell.”
He leaned over to more easily look into her face. “Samuel?”
“I prayed for him, and the Lord delivered.” She chuckled. “Well, we all delivered, but you know what I mean.” She brushed a finger down the baby’s soft cheek. “I think I better understand Hannah from the Bible.”
“That’s perfect.” Graham kissed her temple.
“Samuel, it is, then.” Jeremy nodded and picked up his case. “Do you want me to call Ian, or would you prefer to do it yourself?”
“Please do, if you don’t mind. You can call Max, too.” He chuckled. “Then the whole pack will know by morning.”
Donna laughed. “Has Ian figured out yet who the pack gossip is?”
Jeremy rolled his eyes. “No. He ruled out Max since the grapevine knows so much that Max couldn’t possibly be privy to. I don’t think it’s occurred to him that Max has spies.” He grinned. “Well, I’m going to leave you three to get acquainted. If you run into any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to call me. Anytime, day or night.”
She nodded. “Thanks for everything, Jeremy. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.”
He nodded with cheeks that burned red and almost ran out the door.
“I better lock up behind him. Tommy won’t be home until tomorrow late sometime. He and Ian were going elk hunting with Brett and Colin tonight.” At sixteen years of age, Tommy wasn’t a little boy anymore. They were still getting used to the reality of him driving.
“Tommy’ll love that.”
Graham scooted out from behind her, careful not to jostle her. When he’d extricated himself, he stood beside the bed and gazed at his mate and their son. Picture perfect. He leaned down, resting the weight of his upper body on his fists on the bed. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
A warm, weary smile curved her mouth. “Just an inkling.” An impish grin appeared. “It wouldn’t hurt to prove it though.”
“Oh? How would you have me do that?”
“I could really use a steak. Grilled, medium rare.”
Gr
aham chuckled, gave her a quick kiss, and straightened. “Fine. I’ll fire up the grill.” He headed for the door. “You do realize it’s like two in the morning, right?”
Donna snickered. “Hey, woman with a baby here. We need food no matter what time of day it is.”
“Fine. Fine. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
NEW LIFE
Colin & Tanya Campbell
Chapter 1
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…” - Jeremiah 1:5
Residence of Ian Campbell, Pack Alpha
Campbell Wildlife Preserve
Outside Flagstaff, Arizona
Friday, June 17, 2016
BACK against the breakfast bar, Colin Campbell watched his mate, Tanya, chat with Brett Mitchell’s mate, Kelly. They sat in opposite corners of the couch, facing each other, feet drawn up. The pack included three female wolves, all obtained after May of the previous year, Tanya being the first. She’d adapted well to her new life, particularly after being reconciled with her family at Thanksgiving. Something had changed the last couple of days though. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. She’d grown restless, almost distant, temperamental in a way that wasn’t like her.
“So, when did they say the house should be done?”
Dad’s deep voice distracted him. He turned to lean his elbows on the counter and watch the man cook. Though Dad occasionally allowed one of the women in there, the kitchen was his domain, and he seldom surrendered it to anyone else. Tanya had been permitted to use it from time to time, and she’d proven to be a good cook. He glanced over his shoulder at her again.
“Colin?” Dad quirked a brow, the tongs in his hand frozen over the skillet on the stove.
“Oh, uh… supposed to be ready for move-in tomorrow. A couple of the guys were finishing one of the bedroom floors when I checked on it earlier this evening. They said they’d be done later tonight.”
“That’s good.” He nodded and turned back to the stove. “The timing couldn’t be better.”
Colin half-grinned. “You getting tired of us already?”
“Already?” Dad snorted. “She’s been here a year. You’ve been here all of your life. I don’t think already comes into play. But, no, that’s not what I meant. I was referring to Tanya.”